What Quarantine Has Taught Me About Minimalism
Finding freedom in the time of social isolation.
I am not new to the concept of minimalism, but I still have a way to go.
What is minimalism? It is probably easier to say what minimalism is not. It is not about owning less than a hundred things, and it certainly is not about depriving yourself.
Similarly, you don’t have to live in a sterile, all-white apartment to call yourself a minimalist. And your wardrobe doesn’t have to consist of only dull, neutral colors.
According to The Minimalists: “Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom.” Indeed, it’s not only finding freedom from the consumer culture we’ve all become so dependent on, but also finding freedom from whatever makes you unhappy.
The core of minimalism lies in finding inner peace. Rather than cramming your life with a multitude of material items that temporarily fill the void, you make space for meaningful things that actually matter to you.
You don’t need to be a clean freak, but keeping your surroundings organized undoubtedly goes hand-in-hand with minimalism. After all, you can’t attract new energy into your life without doing some serious declutter first.
To echo Marie Kondo’s philosophy, all you have to do is ask yourself a simple question: “Does this item spark joy?” If it doesn’t, pass it on, and soon you’ll start to feel the kind of freedom you didn’t realize existed. Of course, certain items won’t really spark joy, such as utility bills or toilet paper. Although, the latter proved to be quite joyful for some in the past few weeks.
Naturally, the current pandemic forced a whole new lifestyle on all of us. It certainly made me redefine the concept of necessity or luxury — terms that may have a completely different meaning to each person.
And that’s the beauty of minimalism.
- What we already own is enough.
With the lockdown restrictions came a painful realization: you can no longer go shopping at your leisure. You now have to ration your grocery trips and plan out how much food you need to buy to last you a few days.
That is, of course, if you don’t partake in bulk shopping, which is just silly.
Other than your weekly shopping outings, chances are you’re mostly working from home, which means you no longer have to dress to impress. Hence, the urge to go out and buy new clothes probably isn’t there.
What if we eliminated this urge for senseless buying in the longer term?
Working from home also means you spend much more time in your immediate surroundings, which may not be as functional or as inspiring as you once thought.
Have a look at the space around you and critically evaluate what you have. How many of these items actually suit your life? How much more do you really need to make your life complete?
Do you ever wear that fancy dress, your old wedding suit, or those jeans than no longer fit? Do you need to own multiple versions of the same t-shirt, or collect a graveyard of old makeup that you never use? How about all that clutter on your shelves: decorations that only gather dust, old equipment that serves no purpose, perhaps some books that you never read anymore?
You do own enough. In fact, you probably own too much.
2. Most of our stuff is meaningless.
We are all guilty of hoarding, to some extent.
Gathering possessions is a very human thing to do, particularly when settling down. However, it got way out of control in the recent times. We live too fast, we consume too much, and there is a lot of pressure to own stuff as if that was the only reliable measurement of success.
If you want to impress your peers these days, and let the world know what a big shot you are, you need to own a lot. Several cars, a big house, and a bunch of material possessions to fill all that space. You waste your life working hard for a promotion so that you can afford to buy more stuff. But does it actually make you happy?
The thing about achievement is that it doesn’t have to be a tangible thing.
For some, success means having a happy family. For others, a brilliant career. It can also be devoting one’s life to a charitable cause, or perhaps, being able to travel the world with just a backpack. One could say, achievement or success is when you can lead a life full of meaning. A life that fulfills you.
Now that we were forced to slow down, we can think long and hard about what really fulfills us, and about the things that truly spark joy.
We attach so much meaning to our material possessions that we often neglect other, more critical areas of our lives. Relationships, human connections, learning, living in the moment, pursuing our passions, loving life — these are only some of the things we leave behind while chasing after stuff. And once we get that new shiny thing that we wanted so much, we very quickly desire something else, don’t we?
It’s time to redefine success. And it’s time to start using things instead of living for them.
3. Clean space, clean mind.
You’ve probably heard it a million times, but it’s true. Research suggests that living in a cluttered space is closely linked to depression, fatigue, and higher levels of stress.
Of course, tidying up is extremely difficult if you’re depressed. Getting out of bed and attending to your personal hygiene can be quite a task, let alone keeping your surroundings clean. I suffer from bipolar disorder, so I’ve had to accept depression as my annoying dark passenger, riding with me wherever I go, most of my life.
But there is something about decluttering that really puts my racing mind at peace.
I am not obsessed with cleaning — far from it. And it’s definitely not my favorite thing to do on a Friday afternoon (I like to start my weekends fresh). But I’ve found out that organizing my space and getting rid of superfluous stuff really calms me down.
It’s like a magic mirror where I put my life in order and declutter my head at the same time.
I’m more likely to focus on my work and complete my projects effectively, knowing that my place is nice and clean. In a way, I’m able to breathe, knowing that my apartment can breathe, too: without all the extra junk weighing it down.
Now it’s more important than ever to take care of our mental health, and clearing out our surroundings can be a good start.
4. Owning less means buying less.
This may be counter-intuitive, but once you embark on a minimalist journey, your spending habits will change.
Minimalism is not just about decluttering your home and getting rid of items that don’t spark joy. And it’s not about freeing yourself of dozens of clothes so that you can fill up your wardrobe with brand new pieces.
Minimalism is about being mindful of the new things that you invite into your life.
And it makes sense. When you surround yourself with stuff that you genuinely use, value, and appreciate, you don’t want to spiral back into your old impulse buying habits.
Now that most non-essential shops are closed, you probably don’t feel the urge to own a new pair of shoes, do you? Living with intention is precisely that — freeing ourselves of these outside urges, being in charge, and only buying things that we need.
The need is, of course, very individual. Some people are content with only one pair of shoes, others prefer to have at least a few more options, depending on the weather or lifestyle. Minimalism teaches you to define your needs and make decisions that truly suit your life.
Being able to control your shopping habits takes some practice, but it’s almost like spiritual healing. Achieving that blissful sense of contentment with what you have is so worth it. Why not use the current situation to exercise that?
5. The most luxurious things in life are free.
While quarantined, I’ve turned my weekly grocery shopping outings into little wandering adventures.
I don’t just take a walk. I walk with a passion, and I absorb the world around me.
I’ve discovered an abandoned wooden bench by the river nearby, far away from the so-called civilization. Half-devoured by time, it has seen its better days, and evidently, it hasn’t enjoyed any visitors for a long while.
And how could it? We’re way too distracted. We demand entertainment at all times. We want share-worthy moments for our digital existence. Actual existence just won’t do anymore.
I’ve befriended that bench, and made it my destination point each time I walk, rewarding myself with just being there.
I watch as the waves make their patterns, playfully interrupting the ducks that lazily float on top of the water, completely unaware of the global pandemic. I observe how, almost unnoticed, nature continues to do its thing, and how the trees transform from haggard into luscious green. I immerse myself in the warmth of the newly reborn sun, and listen as the rusted boats knock against the shoreline.
It’s a beautiful world we live in. If only we took our time to see it.
I understood that luxury is not about our possessions, money, or status. Luxury is being able to wander. Being able to live in a clean environment. Being able to breathe fresh air.
Luxury is being able to own your time. Being able to truly appreciate the moment. Being able to free yourself from worry.
Just: being free.
Minimalism is not an overnight transformation. I started a few years ago, and I’m still nowhere near where I would like to be. But I’m getting there.
Being quarantined only cemented what I already knew about this lifestyle, and the older I get, the more benefits I see of living lighter.
Being a typical digital nomad, living in my fourth country of residence, owning less certainly makes it easier for me to just drop everything and leave. It allows me to fully appreciate the flexibility of my freelance life, too.
Will I ever reduce my belongings to just a backpack? Highly unlikely, but I’ll keep minimizing until I find happiness, and until I reach my own version of freedom.
